Then What? Part 10 BLM Homestead Applications Step Three of Three

Part 10: BLM Homestead Applications

Step One is how to search on the BLM site for a homestead application. This is a marvelous index.
Step Two is how to find the latitude and longitude for the property and locate it on Google Maps.
Step Three is how to find the patent on the Utah State BLM site as well as the Master Title Plat.

Case Study:
This case study is for John McCormick Wiser who was an original settler in Alpine but left by 1860 for Cache County. Tracing an ancestor from each place they lived adds immensely to a history. Land records are vital to tracking migration.

Step Three  How to find the patent on the Utah State BLM site as well as the Master Title Plat.

I want the patent image too so I click on the tab "Patent Image" and this is the result - No Image Available. The national BLM site doesn't have all the patent images. Sometimes for Utah this site has a patent image and sometimes it doesn't. However, the Utah BLM site does have them.

To get to the Utah BLM site go here: http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en.html. On the far right Utah is displayed. On the far left is a list. To get to the search for patents click on the following steps: first click on Information Center, 2nd click on Online Services; 3rd click on Land; 4th click on Utah Land Records; 5th click on Search for Plats. 

The arrow above shows where to type in the Document Number. John M. Wiser is 655. The following image is of the results.

By clicking on the number 140n010e the Patent Image is displayed and can be saved or printed.

Last, to get a copy of the Master Title Plat that shows where each property is located go back to the search field. Instead of entering the Document Number go to the upper box and enter the Township and Range information. The following image is an example of how to do this.

The following image is the result of this search.

The last step would be to order the actual homestead application from the National Archives.

For further information on finding homesteads on maps check out Lisa Louise Cooke's webinar on Using Google Earth for Genealogy. She explains how to use earthpoint.us plus historical map overlays. This is a very valuable resource. [click here]